Charlotte-Matthews
Dog Training & Enrichment

Help your dog be the best it can be with our dog training experts

A happy dog adds to a harmonious home. At Central Bark® Charlotte-Matthews, our team of dog training experts employs enjoyable and positive methods, using rewards to develop crucial life skills and behaviors for dogs of all ages.

Our offerings include personalized training, enrichment sessions, and group classes, reinforcing positive habits and strengthening the loving bond you share with your dog. Training sets the foundation for canine citizenship, fostering cheerful, sociable, and well-rounded dogs.

Experience Our Dog Training with These Key Features at Central Bark Charlotte-Matthews:

  • Personalized Instruction: Our training sessions are customized to address your dog’s specific needs and goals. Our skilled trainers offer guidance to tackle behavioral challenges or introduce new commands, ensuring your dog receives the individualized attention they need to thrive.
  • Group Classes for Skill Refinement: Engage in our group classes to reinforce positive behaviors and promote your dog’s socialization within a safe and supportive environment. These sessions provide valuable opportunities for your furry companion to interact with fellow dogs and humans while mastering essential skills.
  • Cultivating Exemplary Citizenship: Training serves as the foundation for responsible behavior. We instill positive routines and essential commands in your dog, shaping them into well-rounded individuals who navigate social situations with confidence and grace.
  • Deepening the Bond: Our training goes beyond mere command teaching. It builds trust, effective communication, and mutual understanding between you and your dog. This fosters an affectionate and respectful partnership, strengthening your unique connection with your four-legged companion.

Central Bark
Charlotte-Matthews

9600 Monroe Rd,
Charlotte, NC 28270Get Directions

(704) 261-3061

Closed Open for Boarding by Appointment

Enroll Now

Dog Tricks Taught at Central Bark Charlotte-Matthews

Central Bark provides customized dog training programs tailored to the unique needs of each dog. These training services encompass a wide range of skills and behaviors, including:

  • Name Recognition: Ensure safety by teaching your dog to respond to their name using positive techniques.
  • Fundamental Commands: Master essential instructions such as sit, stay, down, wait, and leave-it through positive reinforcement, refining their behavior.
  • Door and Gate Etiquette: Train your dog to enter and exit calmly upon command, displaying polite behavior.
  • Relaxed Leash Walking: Enjoy pleasant walks by instructing your dog to walk calmly on a slack leash, eliminating pulling.
  • Additional Behaviors: Address concerns like separation anxiety, excessive barking, or destructive chewing with the assistance of our dedicated trainers. Together, let’s enrich your dog’s life and unleash their full potential.

Dog Training & Enrichment Options:

Central Bark Charlotte trainer with dog

Training Tutor

Personalized one-on-one training sessions during day care visits help your dog develop important skills and behaviors like name recall, sit, stay, down, wait, leave-it, door and gate control, and loose-leash walking. Excellent for your dog and easy for you! Your dog will come home tired and well-socialized, with the training and skills they need to be a well-behaved member of your family.

Central Bark Charlotte nc trainer with dog

One-on-One Enrichment

Personalized One-on-One Enrichment sessions give your dog the extra attention they love and the freedom to use their senses and safely explore their instincts through interactive toys, puzzles, and games. It’s fun and rewarding and exercise their bodies and minds and engage their senses. Add complexity with fitness and agility equipment.

dog playing with a toy

Rest Period Enrichment

Your dog gets to relax and recharge in their own private space with calming interactive toys and healthy food pairings tailored to their preferences and diet. It promotes physical and mental relaxation which can help them achieve a healthy balance of play, learning, and rest. It can also help them become more comfortable in crates by building positive associations.

Pricing

Training & Enrichment Add-ons

ServicePrice
Training Tutor
One-on-one training session during your dog’s visit to practice important cues and behavior skills. Packages available.
20
One-on-One Enrichment
Personalized session during your dog’s visit with interactive toys, puzzles, and games to exercise your dog’s body and mind.
15
Extra Rest Period Enrichment
Private space with calming interactive food toy to help your dog achieve a healthy balance of activity and rest.
5

Group Dog Training Classes

Ask an associate for details.

If you have any concerns about food sensitivities or destructive tendencies, please
speak to an associate at the front desk to discuss available options. All sales are final.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does dog training cost?

With a variety of training solutions available, training costs depend upon what kind of training you and your dog need. 

Central Bark® offers everything you need to help you train your new puppy or older dog. Including group classes and Training Tutor sessions that can take place during day care. Our expert training and classes help you, and your dog learn and bond together. 

Learn more about our training classes.

How long does dog training take?

The timeline for learning new behaviors and skills is as unique as every dog! Because each dog is an individual, with different learning histories, breed genetics, and preferences in reinforcers like treats and toys, there is no way to say for sure how long training will take. It’s also important to consider how much time each family has for daily training practice.

Whether you’re crate training, leash walking, or potty training your pup, consistency is key. It’s crucial to establish a routine, practice positive reinforcement, supervise your puppy (especially when potty training), and avoid punishing your puppy when mistakes happen. 

Central Bark® offers everything you need to help you train your dog, with expert training and classes so you and your pup can learn and bond together. 

Learn more about our training classes.

Visit our Dog Blog for more helpful tips
.

Is 5 months too old to train a puppy?

Not at all! It’s never too early or too late to begin building positive associations and using reward-based methods to teach your puppy new skills and behaviors.

Establish a training schedule now to help your puppy learn desired behaviors like walking nicely on a leash and basic cues like sit, stay, and loose-leash walking. Practicing these skills at home is critical, but it’s always a good idea to enlist the help of a professional to get a jump start teaching your puppy all the things you want them to know and set them up for success! Central Bark® offers everything you need to help you train your dog, including expert training and classes, so you and your puppy can learn and bond together. 

Learn more about our training classes.

Visit our Dog Blog for more helpful tips
.

How to choose the best day care for your dog

Selecting the right doggy day care is an important decision for you and your family. You want to make sure you find the right fit for your dog and your family’s needs. Follow these tips to find the perfect place for your pup! 

Tour the day care center before leaving your dog there. We recommend visiting several centers in your area before making a final decision.

While you’re there, ask yourself:

  • Is the play space clean, odor-free, comfortable, and safe for the center’s stated capacity? 
  • Pay attention to how the management and staff treat you, your dog, and the dogs in their care. Are they mature, knowledgeable, courteous, professional, and patient at all times? 
  • Note how the dogs respond to the staff – do they seem happy, relaxed, and excited? How do staff members greet and treat each dog?
  • How do other dogs act during your visit – relaxed, happy, stressed, scared, or out of control?
  • Is there a great deal of noise? 
  • Does the facility seem well organized and equipped with essential tools and supplies? Look for access to fresh, clean water, sanitation tools, ready access to treats to reinforce good behavior in playgroups, toys, secure fencing, rubber flooring in the inside play spaces, and access to outdoor play spaces.
  • Are there enough crates for every dog on-site in case of an emergency?
  • Are the dogs ever left alone together without a staff member present?
  • Are the handlers engaged with the dogs in their care and actively working with them? Or are they sitting on the sidelines? 

Questions to ask the doggy day care provider:

  1. Will my dog get individual attention time with staff?
    Ask if staff will have time to work individually with your dog on behaviors, play with them, and give them support and love while at day care.
  2. Are there small group play options?
    Small playgroup options help ensure your dog will have a social environment that allows them the freedom and comfort to thrive based on their unique needs, preferences, and play styles. 
  3. What’s the daily schedule? Is this tailored to my dog’s unique needs and preferences?
    Dogs thrive on routine, so the center should have a clear schedule for how things run every day. A consistent program tailored to your dog’s individual needs and style will promote a healthy and happy dog. 
  4. Are there regularly scheduled playtimes and nap times throughout the day?
    Day care should offer your dog a safe and balanced day of play, learning, rest, and love so you can look forward to a happy, well-balanced dog at the end of every day. 
  5. How and where are the dogs’ given downtime to wind down from the day’s activities to help prevent exhaustion and overstimulation?
    Maintaining a healthy balance of rest and play is important for the physical, mental, and social health of dogs. Just like human athletes, rest helps dogs avoid bodily injury and provides a space for them to unwind, so they do not become over-stimulated or over-aroused during play. This creates a much safer social environment for dogs. 
  6. Are there fenced and secure outdoor play areas? 
    Safe outdoor areas are important for a healthy, fun playtime. Whether it is romping in the snow or playing in swimming pools, everyone loves recess outside!
  7. How are new dog introductions handled?
    The center should clearly outline their procedures around new dog introductions, with effective policies that encourage happy, healthy, and lasting relationships and experiences.   
  8. What training does the staff receive?
    Doggy day care staff should be professionally trained and educated in animal behavior, socialization, and obedience training to ensure every dog’s well-being.  
  9. Are the dogs supervised at all times?
    A trained staff member should ALWAYS supervise dogs.
  10. Ask about behavior management tools used at the facility while caring for the dogs. What happens if your dog does something right? What happens if your dog does something wrong?
    Staff should use positive reinforcement and reward-based techniques to develop and reinforce behaviors that will enrich dogs’ lives at home and day care. Avoid centers that use punishment or correction to manage dog’s behavior as those techniques can create negative associations and fear. Utilizing reward-based techniques and positive reinforcement, on the other hand, can help build healthy relationships and happy experiences.
  11. What provisions are there for avoiding dog scuffles?
    Ask staff how they manage the dogs in their care. What do they look for in dog-dog interactions? How do they deal with emergencies and scuffles? How do they interrupt and redirect dogs? How do they build useful playgroup skills to keep the dogs safe proactively? Pay attention to how staff redirects dogs who need additional support to stay safe and whether they respond promptly and use effective strategies in these situations.
  12. Is there an in-depth interview to determine relevant background, behavioral, and health information including confirmation of spay/neuter, proof of vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, etc.? How is this information kept up to date?
    Find out what kind of assessments and evaluations the center uses before they accept a new dog. Also, every dog’s information should be regularly updated and kept on file to prevent illness and injuries.
  13. Do they have safety, cleaning, and disinfecting policies and procedures? What are they?

Learn more about Enrichment Doggy Day Care.

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Central Bark® Whole Dog Care

Our whole dog care approach offers a full range of fun and personalized products and services. To promote your dog’s physical, mental, and emotional health and happiness throughout their entire life.